[Around 1858, Miller & Richard produced a face called
Antique Old Style No. 7, designed by A. C. Phemister.
This precursor to Bookman Oldstyle was a heavy variation of a face
called “Old Style.”] Other foundries imitated the design. The Bruce
Foundry did Old Style Antique #310 and followed in
1901 with an improved version called Bartlett
Oldstyle. Shortly after, The Bruce Foundry joined American
Type Founders and Bartlett Oldstyle was renamed “Bookman
Oldstyle.”

The new name came from Wadsworth A. Parker, who is also credited
with adding the first few swash characters to Bookman, six in the
roman and nine in the italic. Bartlett/Bookman More…

[Around 1858, Miller & Richard produced a face called Antique Old Style No. 7, designed by A. C. Phemister. This precursor to Bookman Oldstyle was a heavy variation of a face called “Old Style.”] Other foundries imitated the design. The Bruce Foundry did Old Style Antique #310 and followed in 1901 with an improved version called Bartlett Oldstyle. Shortly after, The Bruce Foundry joined American Type Founders and Bartlett Oldstyle was renamed “Bookman Oldstyle.”

The new name came from Wadsworth A. Parker, who is also credited with adding the first few swash characters to Bookman, six in the roman and nine in the italic. Bartlett/Bookman Oldstyle seems to have originated the “slanted roman” italic that has been a characteristic feature of all Bookmans (with two recent exceptions).

Bookman Oldstyle was adapted to Monotype casters in 1909. Other foundries copied it, including Ludlow, which added a different set of swash characters. Sol Hess designed New Bookman for Monotype in 1927, a more refined version with wedge- shaped serifs. Monotype and Barnhart Brothers & Spindler produced their own “Bold” and “Bold Condensed” styles.

In 1936, Chauncey H. Griffith revived Bookman for the American Linotype.

Bitstream’s Bookman is digital revival of the Roman and the Italic, each in two optical sizes, assumably based on the ATF version.